ALWAGHT- Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have returned to Iran after a months-long gap, the foreign minister announced.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors have returned to the country but stressed their presence does not amount to full cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. He said their entry was authorized by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) solely to monitor fuel replacement at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, noting that under parliamentary law, all future cooperation must be approved by the SNSC. Araghchi added that no final agreement on broader cooperation has yet been reached following recent US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran has suspended new inspections since those strikes, citing security concerns and criticizing the IAEA for failing to condemn the attacks. AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi explained that the inspectors’ presence was limited to routine technical needs at Bushehr, which is vital for supplying power to the national grid. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed their return, while also noting that discussions are ongoing to determine practical mechanisms for resuming wider inspection activities.
The developments come against a backdrop of renewed nuclear tensions, as Iran held talks in Geneva with European parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Britain, France, and Germany have threatened to trigger the deal’s snapback mechanism, which would restore UN sanctions, but postponed their decision until August 31. Iran has steadily reduced its cooperation with the IAEA since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and Europe’s failure to compensate for it, deepening the standoff over its nuclear program.
